Playa Cabana

It felt so good to be back.  I’ve had take-out a few times recently, but hadn’t been back to the restaurant in a long while.  There’s something about scoring a last-minute reservation and then finding a friend to eat with that is so satisfying.

In terms of drinks, I love the playa paloma.  It’s my go-to and favourite cocktail (aside from some of the delicious concoctions I’ve had at Toronto Temperance Society – but that’s for another day).  Grapefruit and tequila.  The best margarita.  So smooth.  Not too boozy tasting, but very boozy.  I just wish they made it in a pitcher…

I love Mexican food, but I’ll confess, I hate guacamole.  I’m not the best sharer for some of my friends.  I started with the nachos a la plancha.  They aren’t conventional nachos.  Fried tortillas topped with beans and crema and some Mexican sort of bbq sauce (no clue at all what it is).  They come with a little pile of pickled hot peppers that might be one of my favourite condiments ever.  I also really like their chicken quesadillas – not your typical quesadilla, more like a pulled chicken pizza pocket covered in corn and crema.  Some other great apps I’ve had are the super spicy chicken wings, or the crazy addictive shrimp in a bucket.  My friend had the ceviche which she loved.  It comes with their fresh, housemade tortilla chips.  These are the real deal.  Straight out of the fryer, covered in salt.  Perfect for eating plain or with any combination of guac, salsa, ceviche…

For mains, I had my #1 favourite restaurant item right now.  I can’t get enough of the braised short rib-brisket tacos!  They come in a crispy tortilla shell with crema, a little salsa and a wedge of lime.  It’s perfection.  The meat is so juicy, tender and falling apart, the perfect contrast to the crispy shell.  Mmmm.  Mouth foaming.  Thinking about when I can go again.  If I’m hungry, I’ll go for a side of rice and refried beans.  I don’t always need it (I didn’t this time because I had the “nachos”).  My husband always offers to pick these up for me if I’m having a bad day (it helps that we live 2 minutes away).

My friend had the fish tacos, they were halibut on the day we went.  She gets them grilled – sinful.  I thought about ordering them myself that day, fried of course, but am happy I stuck with my favourite menu item.  One day I’ll try them, but I never even want to give up one of my three tacos for a trade.

Best: Short rib-brisket tacos.  Have all three yourself or order them to share.

Not the best: Trying to get a reservation!  It’s getting easier now that they have 3 locations, but still… I don’t like to plan 2 weeks in advance.

Check out Playa Cabana.  It’s on The List.

http://www.playacabana.ca/

111 Dupont St (near Dupont and Davenport)

Momofuku – Nikai

Part 1 – Jess will be posting her review shortly.

I was pretty psyched when Momfuku came to town.  Not wait-in-line-for-hours psyched, but pay-$150-for-fried-chicken excitement.  BUT very mixed review from friends and strangers online stopped me from experiencing the most hyped restaurant for a while… but not forever.

On a rainy night, I had to meet a friend I hadn’t hung out with in a while  We wanted good drinks and somewhere with subway access*** (and very little walking in the rain).  Our first choice was closed, so we decided we would try Momofuku.  Hoping just for drinks, but maybe, just maybe getting into the Noodle Bar without a super long wait.  We arrived just before 7pm on a Friday… We were told it would be about 10 minutes for a table at Noodle Bar.  While deciding if we would go to the bar or just wait, the table became available.  But we still decided to go to the bar.

This is a totally awesome SECRET.  No line, same menu, super helpful (and cute) bartender.

We didn’t order a ton because we were there for the drinks, but not the food, but we didn’t leave hungry either.

Pickles – a small jar of pickles filled with brine (kind of odd to wrestle them out and get the brine everywhere), with mixed vegetables.  Everything was really tasty – carrots, celery, onions.  The only thing I didn’t love were the mushrooms.  I am not a fan of the slimy Chinese mushroom.

Pickles in brine

Pork bun – hoisin, scallion, cucumber – even though we aren’t big pork eaters, we couldn’t say no to the signature item.  A little too fatty, but it is pork belly.  The bun was also a little greasy.  It almost slipped out of my hand, but you still must get it.  I doubt you will be disappointed.

Mandatory order

Ginger scallion noodles – shiitake, cucumber, cabbage – maybe not the most exciting choice, but very tasty and flavourful.  Lots of ginger and scallion flavour (duh!).  Vegetables were cool, but the noodles were hot.  After mixing together, we slurped them up happily.  Also greasy, I may have dropped a few on the ground (Sorry!)

Noodles after they were mixed.

Roasted rice cakes – red chili, onion, sesame – the name totally throws you off when you see the end product, but these are a must order.  Made out of rice flour into the cutest gnocchi-esque balls of yumminess.  These were slightly spicy and totally addictive.  Thinking back to them puts a smile on my face.

No way to describe, just go try.

Crack pie – They call it that for a reason.  The best butter tart, but better.  Super decadent.  Real whipped cream.  Mmmmm.

Say yes to crack… pie

We also stopped by Milk.  A little closet next to the bar.  We picked up 6 cookies for $11.  I loved the cornflake marshmallow and compost cookie.  I should go back there soon.

I’ll be honest, I don’t remember the exact drinks I had, but I think it was the malabar crush – gin, ginger, lime juice, pok pok som tamarind and then something bellini-like, sparkling with peach.  Both were totally delicious and refreshing.  I trusted the bartender’s recommendation and suggest you do the same.  Just go.  And fast.

Overall, it ended up being an amazing night.

Best: Rice cakes.  No contest.  Not like anything I’ve ever had.

Not the best: Tough call this time, but for me it was the pork bun.  Not because they weren’t delicious, just personal preference.

***Say no to drinking and driving  There’s no reason to do it.  EVER

190 University Ave (University and Richmond)

http://momofuku.com/toronto/nikai/

El Catrin

My first experience with Mexican food included deep fried ice cream in a plaza next to a mall. As you can imagine, it wasn’t the most authentic and I didn’t love it – not a great start. Things have changed. I’m a total Mexican food junkie. I love spicy and crunchy and both are usually part of a good Mexican meal.

I went with a friend to El Catrin on one of the last warm days of the year. We started on the patio, but it started to lightly drizzle – picture me sitting with a napkin on my head chugging my margarita. We asked the waitress if we could sit inside, maybe at the bar? She said no. Annoying…and wrong – we ended up at the bar. That was the best decision of the night. The bartender was super friendly and knowledgeable.

I had the traditional margarita and my friend had a beer cocktail. Both were really large and pretty tasty. Very fair prices for the huge drinks we got.

Classic margarita

They give you 3 salsas and lime at the start so you can add as you like. Since we moved locations, we got them twice. Both our original waitress and the bartender said they were in order of heat, but the order they gave them to us in was different. Is rojo hotter than verde or not? Anyway, none really packed the Mexican spice I was looking for, especially since there were 3.

Tacos con Tinga – make your own tacos with refried beans and pulled chicken. I enjoyed this dish, but my friend wasn’t really feeling it. It was a little too simple for her. I was loading on the limes so take that for what it’s worth.

Guac – mashed in front of you with a whole avocado. My friend ate it all fast. I’m not a fan of mush (nothing against El Catrin, just avocados), I had some chips and some of the salsas they give you.

Elote Placero (whole corn) – one piece of corn with chili butter, chili aioli and crumbly cheese. The presentation was much better than the actual taste. We had this during corn season so I had pretty high hopes.

Tacos Gobernador – Sauteed shrimp and lobster tacos with a creamy chili sauce. This was the spiciest and best for sure. The bartender said it recently won a Toronto contest. I believe it.

Tostado de Atun – my friend had both of these tiny tostados. Nicely seared pieces of tuna with guac. I think this was her favourite.

Finally, we had the Mexican bread pudding. Interesting flavour. Next time, I will try the churros. Or for $18, you can get 3 desserts plus caramel popcorn. A very intriguing offer, for sure.

At slightly more than $100 for dinner for 2, I found it on the high priced side for what we got. That’s not to say I wouldn’t go back. The patio is beautiful, the decor is awesome and it’s wayyyy better than the previous restaurant in that space.

Best: Gobernador. Spicy and well cooked seafood

Not the best: Corn. Hard to pay $6 for a single ear

http://www.elcatrin.ca/home

18 Tank House Lane (Distillery District)